Jeffrey Turk

Throughout graduate and postdoctoral studies, I trained as an organic chemist. While in graduate school at the University of Cincinnati I studied the design, synthesis and testing of molecules that recognized and bound DNA and protein surfaces. My doctoral dissertation is titled, “A Structure-Based Approach to Creating Synthetic Protein Mimetics that Bind DNA”. My postdoctoral research was completed at Purdue University, and I gained additional experience in asymmetric chemistry, total synthesis and solid-phase organic/peptide synthesis. I was also co-director of Purdue’s Combinatorial Library Synthesis Laboratory.

After spending two years at Purdue University, I was excited to practice the organic chemistry I studied for so long by working in the pharmaceutical industry. I worked at C.B. Research and Development (now Adesis, Inc.), developing small molecule drug intermediates for only a short while, then my life took an unexpected turn and I spent a little over a year working as a research scientist at International Flavors and Fragrances, creating new aroma chemicals.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that at the end of the day, I wasn’t fully satisfied at the end of the day because I “made the molecule”; I wanted my primary output to be developing students. After my short tenure in chemical industry, I returned to academia and joined Alma College in 2006.

I hold research with undergraduates dear to my heart, because I truly believe it is the best way to develop the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that are needed to succeed as students leave Alma College. Not surprisingly, I’ve brought pieces of my past experiences with me to share. The primary thrust of research conducted in the my group is centered around one key question: Can we create molecules that have the appropriate structure to exhibit the function we want? This question is being explored through two projects involving the design, synthesis and evaluation of: (1) novel enzyme inhibitors, and (2) molecules that exhibit targeted fragrance profiles.